DJ Relley Rozay selected as student headliner for Lawnparties

DJ Relley Rozay, also known as Durelle Napier ’17, will be the undergraduate student headliner at the 2017 Spring Lawnparties, as announced by the Undergraduate Student Government Social Committee on Monday.

“I’m definitely ecstatic, it definitely means a lot to me,” Napier said. “I’ve been wanting to be on the main stage of Lawnparties since I came in freshman year.”

Napier has been DJing since his senior year of high school, and he has started a record label, G.O.A.T. Life*, with his friends.

“I want to thank the Princeton community for supporting me these last four years of music and encouraging me to get better and pursue music after college,” Napier said.

DJ Relley Rozay was selected to perform among six groups that participated in the “Artist of the Year” competition run by the USG. Online voting in this competition was open to all undergraduates from April 10 to April 16, with video clips from each artist embedded into a Google Form.

The form received 926 responses; 357 received DJ Relley Rozay votes, or 38.7 percent of the vote. He was followed by the group Daqa, with 262 votes or 28.4 percent. City in the Clouds received 105 votes, or 11.4 percent; DJ STORM received 98 votes, or 10.6 percent; Major Undecided received 51 votes, or 5.5 percent; and Sad Boys received 39 votes, or 5.5 percent.

Over 400 responses were received when voting opened on Tuesday, and responses continued to be recorded through the entire five-day period, according to USG Social Chair Lavinia Liang ’18.

“We’re really excited about how many votes came in,” Liang said, noting that turnout increased by almost tenfold since last year.

The online voting represents a shift in the competition's format. In previous years, groups competed at an event called “Battle of the Bands.”

“The problem was it deterred groups from competing,” Liang said. “And the event itself was a resources drain.”

Moreover, since the event was termed “Battle of the Bands,” solo and duo groups were less likely to compete, Liang explained.

“[The online form] was a new way to showcase work and to open up a broader platform for different kinds of groups,” she added.

She also noted that students were able to provide feedback about the new format.

When and where DJ Relley Rozay will perform is still being decided. In addition to Jeremih, J.I.D., and this student headliner, other groups will also be performing along Prospect Street on the day of Lawnparties.

Although the overall Lawnparties lineup is not completely determined, the addition of the student headliner is an important gap that is now filled, Liang said.